I finally found some Marquis Phillips, after reading everyone's raves about it for the last two years. I bought two bottles of the 2002 Sarah's Blend. Does anyone know when it would be optimal to drink this? The fellow at the store said it was pretty powerful stuff, so I'm assuming it should be laid down for a couple of years.

I have a case of the 2002 Sarah's Blend on order. Hope the merlot, cabernet, shiraz blend is a little less over-the-top than the shiraz by itself. Haven't received my order yet, Joey, but when I do, I will open one bottle to test the waters (wines).

Thanks for the tips Drew & Wonders. I'll leave them until I read Wonders' notes.
They had the MP Shiraz also at the store, but I didn't pick any up at the time. I think I might stay away from it. Hopefully Sarah's Blend will be a bit more subtle.

Saturday was in a shop near the one I work in on a little intelligence gathering mission. They had their MP's out for $15.99. It's a popular place in the area, but everything they had was 10% to 40% higher than our prices.

In terms of composition, its very similar to the MP Shiraz, and to a lesser extent the Merlot. Thick, heady, big (but not chunky), alcoholic, somewhat closed, with a viscous, almost oily texture. Needs an hour to decant for maximum enjoyment. While I believe the blend is evenly split between Cab, Merlot, and Shiraz, the Shiraz flavor profile seemed to dominate the other two grapes. I enjoyed it, but then I'm one of the few on the board that enjoyed the Shiraz.

All in all, MP wines (at least all of the 2002s I've had) seem to have a very distinctive fingerprint, if you didn't like the Shiraz you probably won't care much for Sarah's Blend. But I'm quite happy to have sampled the 02 vintage, and the Sarah's probably is the best of the bunch.

Popped a 2002 Sarah's Blend last night and eskinnyc was right on. Black as night with a heady nose of toffee, caramel, blueberry and blackberry. Flavors follow nose. Very thick and viscous...a thick shiraz berry shake. Nothing like the 2001 where the cab stood center stage. Tried to pair it with a filet mignon but it overwhelmed. Will let the rest sleep longer and see if they come to their senses.

I may go ahead and try one next week. I really liked the 2000 vintage but it seems to get more extracted each vintage. I will decant it for an hour as suggested and pair it with a steak. My retailer is now selling the 2003 MP wines but I haven't ordered any yet. (The less expensive ones are being sold by the case only). I will probably get a few bottles of Henry's Drive Cabernet which I continue to find quite delectable.

Eileen and I popped one last night and it's comming together nicely. Still a tad too much blueberry and caramel but is more integrated than the last one so there is hope. I think I'm gonna wait another 3+ before I pop another.

Tried the 02 Sarahs blend, it needs almost a day of decanting, to be a fair drinker. I am still sold on the '06 Groom Shiraz. Jackie and I sent you a couple bottles. Give them a whack. Its solid as soon as you pop the cork!

BTW, i am in Cancun and I see a lot of Mexican vineyards popping up with malbecs. Have anyone been adventuresome to give them a go? Just curious...